BIGGEST LITTLE PARTY IN THE WORLD
VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY ADDRESSES WAR, SECURITY AND SECRET WIRETAPPING WITH STATE LEADERS IN RENO.
BY DAVID HIMMEL

RENO-On a gorgeous late-August day in northern Nevada - miles from the scorching Vegas Valley - the Nevada State Republican Party hosted a fundraiser. The affair, which took place at the home of big financial party supporter and entertainment attorney John Mason, centered on a two-hour long visit from Vice President Dick Cheney.

Sprawling, the Mason home is a residence with one building serving as an office, a guest house with full-kitchens, a tennis court, pool and a backyard ideal for professional bocce ball or croquet. 

You might say it was fit for a vice president.

For five days, the Mason family underwent a slew of security checks and sweeps from the Secret Service. These were days of Mason's teenage daughters having to prove time and again they did indeed live there.

After sharing a few words at a Reno VFW Hall, Cheney's motorcade arrived at the main house with the Secret Service placing party attendees under momentary lockdown. Cheney didn't speak right away. He insisted a closed-door meeting amongst serious state players. Originally, Liberty Watch had a seat at the table, but the meeting was closed to media-based questions.


Described by the attendees as an informal and engaging meeting, Cheney went around the table fielding questions. When Katrina hit New Orleans a year ago, Clark County Sheriff candidate Jerry Airola was there with his Silver State Helicopters to lend a hand. On top of the destruction, Airola witnessed a bureaucracy that hindered relief efforts and increased the damage. He suggested to Cheney that the federal government encourage local governments to better allow humanitarian efforts without cutting through so much red tape.

"Too many were concerned about where they would get the money to fund the relief efforts," Airola explained to Liberty Watch after the meeting.

State Sen. Bill Raggio asked the Vice President's feelings on the cease fire in Lebanon. He mentioned that the situation was extremely fragile on many different fronts. Cheney said he was hopeful the cease fire would inspire both sides to keep the peace. 

Most questions were retroactive and softballs, given the opportunity to look one of our country's leaders in the eye and ask anything. But Attorney General George Chanos saw the opportunity and seized it by presenting Cheney with a specific issue.

"What is the federal government going to do to combat methamphetamine abuse? We have 250 metric tons of the precursors, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine that are imported to Mexico from countries like India, Germany and China. Mexico only has a legitimate use for pharmaceutical production for about 40-50 metric tons of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which means that they're importing 200 metric tons more than they have a legitimate use for." 

Chanos went on to explain that Mexican super-labs are taking those precursors and making methamphetamine and importing drugs into the United States, especially western states like Nevada.

He proposed two things the federal government should be doing to combat this problem. First, feds should attack the legitimate pharmaceutical companies. The way Chanos sees it, these companies are complacent in a criminal conspiracy to produce methamphetamine. Second, feds should encourage or pressure current Mexican President Vicente Fox to go after the Mexican super-labs.

"The number one problem according to every sheriff and district attorney in the state is the methamphetamine problem," Chanos said.

Cheney was not aware of the problem and thanked Chanos for enlightening him to the issue. He assured Chanos he would have the proper people look into it.

"My whole purpose was to educate the Vice President," Chanos added. 

One question that was not brought up was the defense of Nevada. At the beginning of the year, state and local officials, like colorful Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, made a short-lived stink about Las Vegas receiving only enough funding from the federal government to finish work on already existing defense programs to terrorist attacks or natural disasters. 

In years, there has been concern that the 29th largest populous city in the nation would be left without a proper defense budget. Libertarians, however, are pleased that taxpayer money is not wasted and that Las Vegans can enjoy themselves in a city that has been declassified from once being a terrorist target.

When Cheney made it to the main house, he took a few moments to shake hands and snap photographs with guests who made a donation to the NRP on top of the fee to attend the gathering. 

The room hosted about 150 people, to whom Rep. Jim Gibbons made a short introduction. Cheney was welcomed warmly before beginning his 20-minute speech.

"This is a very important election," he began. "We've got a great member from the delegation. We're going to miss Jim Gibbons in the House, but he'll make a superb governor for Nevada. 

"Some people say, why are you out campaigning when you could be doing a lot of other things … like fishing," the Vice President joked. (No comment was made on his hunting schedule.) "All of the races for the House and Senate, and especially the gubernatorial races, are extremely important." 

Cheney reinforced that it was important to get the resources needed to the Republican Party so it can prevail Nov. 7. The Democrats - namely Harry Reid - are making efforts to block the Republican efforts to limit taxes, including the death tax. 

But mostly, like our own state leaders, Cheney focused on the broader issue of the so-called war on terror overseas. 

"There's a lot to be done and it's tough, dirty work," he said. "As we come up on the 5th anniversary of 9/11, we have not been struck again in five years. There's a reason for that; it's because of our strategy."

Cheney supported George Bush's administrative decision to attack sovereign nations that he deemed sponsored terrorism, like Afghanistan and Iraq. 

"Iraq is the challenge today," Cheney said. "We've made progress; we removed Saddam Hussein; his sons are dead and the government is gone. He's on trial and that's all on the plus. There is a constitution the Iraqis wrote themselves and they've had three major elections. It's still tough. Al-Queda is there. They know they cannot beat us in a stand-up fight. They believe they can break our will."

That sentiment echoes the thoughts of terror leaders like Bin Laden, Cheney said. According to him, they think this way because America backed away from fighting several times in recent history. In 1983, 241 marines were killed in Beirut after a suicide bomber drove a truck into the marine barracks. Shortly after that attack, the United States withdrew all its forces from Lebanon. Again, in 1993, 19 soldiers were lost in a fight in Somalia. Within weeks, we had withdrawn.

"They will never quit until they know we won't," Cheney said. 


Although the Bush-Cheney administration has come under attack from Democratic opponents and the media regarding the Terrorist Surveillance Program, Cheney continued to defend the good it does. 

"The Democrats and press call it domestic surveillance. Hogwash. Domestic surveillance is when we listen to you talking to your Aunt Sadie in Omaha. We're not interested. What we are interested in is international communication where we have reason to believe one end of that call could be Al-Queda."

Cheney still supports that the Terrorist Surveillance Program is the most carefully monitored and managed program he's seen in all his years in government, including his days as the Secretary of Defense. 

"We have to pursue," Cheney said. "We don't get to pick up when it gets tough in Iraq and say, 'Well, gee, we'll just hide behind our oceans and it'll be OK.'"

According to the Bush administration, the terror cell blamed specifically for 9/11's attacks was stationed out of Afghanistan. But these controversial and questionable statements were not of issue during this speech. Cheney was amongst friends.

When asked later if they agreed whole-heartedly with the Veep, State Sen. Bob Beers, Adams and even Airola all quickly nodded their heads, saying, "Of course." LW